WHO Members Agree To Continue Pandemic Agreement Talks

World Health Organization (WHO) member states have agreed to resume negotiations to finalise a pandemic agreement from 29 April to 10 May. The WHO expects the agreement to prepare the world better to respond to future pandemics effectively and equitably. “Our Member States are fully aware of how important the pandemic agreement is for protecting future generations from the suffering we endured through the COVID-19 pandemic,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Tedros spoke at the end of the recent ninth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body. Government negotiators discussed all articles from the draft pandemic agreement. The negotiators delved into crucial topics such as securing adequate financing for pandemic preparedness, ensuring equitable access to medical countermeasures required during pandemics, and bolstering the health workforce. Tedros expressed his gratitude to the negotiators for their unwavering commitment to reaching a consensus and finalising ‘this historic agreement’ in time for the World Health Assembly. At the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly, starting on 27 May 2024, Member States are scheduled to consider the proposed text of the world’s first pandemic agreement for adoption. “We know that if we fail, we will be failing humanity, including all those who suffered from COVID-19, and...